# SHIELD Bill for children’s social media ban stalled in Parliament

2026-08-08T16:17:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 1 independent outlet

BJP MP Baijayant Panda's private member's bill to restrict social media and online gaming for children under 13 could not be tabled in the Lok Sabha on August 7 as both Houses adjourned early amid disruptions. The Safeguarding Healthy Internet Environments for Little Digital-Natives (SHIELD) Bill, 2025, proposes age verification, mandatory parental consent for account creation, and curbs on targeted advertising and harmful content. The bill also mandates parental-control dashboards, a 36-hour timeline to remove harmful content (24 hours for child sexual material), and penalties of up to Rs 10 crore for non-compliant platforms. Repeat violations could lead to service suspension under the IT Act. The delay follows earlier failed attempts this year, as Panda criticised opposition parties for blocking private members' business. Australia recently enacted a similar nationwide ban for under-16s.

## Coverage

- thefederal.com <https://thefederal.com/category/news/social-media-ban-under-13-shield-bill-tighter-child-safety-rules-252955>
- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bjp-mp-lists-private-bill-on-social-media-ban-for-children/article71324617.ece>

Tags: Baijayant Panda, child online safety, Parliament, private member's bill, SHIELD Bill, social media ban
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